Akira

When I exited the Uniqlo in Shibuya this morning, there was this large wall surrounding several blocks under construction. Instead of the usual advertising and construction company propaganda,Katsuhiro Otomo’s Shōtarō Kaneda and his bike from the manga and anime Akira greeted me.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f8, ISO 100, 1/500 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 24mm f/2.0 Nikkor AI @ f8, ISO 100, 1/60sec.

Expensive Toys in Nakano Broadway

If you are interested in collectibles, especially with a more otaku (geeky or nerdy) flavor, such as toys, action figures, books, manga, posters, media (DVDs & CDs), animation cells and other pop culture artifacts, you would probably be interested in visiting the Nakano Broadway. For some odd reason, if you obsession also extends to expensive mechanical watches (Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Panerai and others) there are several large shops here that can cater to your needs.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.0, ISO 400, 1/60 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM @ 16 mm, f5.6, ISO 400, 1/25 sec.

Seems that Shikoku is Awa Odori Crazy (Part 2)

In the lobby of our hotel in Tokushima we were greeted by these anime themed Awa Odori posters. I guess I'm not enough of a anime fan to be able to identify the anime in these posters, but I still like the design.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f2.8, ISO 400, 1/100 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f2.8, ISO 400, 1/200 sec.

Nikon D600 with Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AI-S @ f2.8, ISO 400, 1/80 sec.

Yamathon Part 2

I stuck it out with the TIPsies from Harajuku to Ueno. About half way around the Yamanote or about 13 or 14 miles. Along the way, I saw many interesting things. Several deserve a return visit. Here are some of my favorites.

The first photo is the Yamonote map located above the ticket machines at Harajuku Station. It's quite a challenge to walk all 29-stations. If you ride the train, it takes about one hour!

This pachinko sign is located between Yoyogi and Shnijuku Station.  It looks a little decrepit during the day but it must be quite a sight when its lit up at night... I wonder when there will be enough power from TEPCO to light up signs like this without the fear of brown outs?

This awesome mural of the works of Toei Animation is located neear Takadanobaba station.  Astro (or Atom) Boy features prominently!

This happi coat was hanging inside the window of a house near Nishi-Nippori.